If you knew you were getting amnesia and you could
leave yourself a note to re-read just one book or series which one would it be?
"The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. This
book chronicles Randy's last days on earth before he died from terminal cancer.
What I found astounding was that Randy knew he was dying the whole time. I
found it so inspiring that Randy was able to live before he died. This
is my unofficial manual on how to make the best of a bad situation.
What has been the review that you've had the most
fun writing?
My first book review I ever wrote was the most
enjoyable. I reviewed "The Wizard Heir" by Cinda Williams Chima.
After doing a bit of research, I connected with Mrs. Chima through facebook
(and later through Twitter). She is a very down to earth author who stays
connected with her fans, and even replies to your messages, facebook posts,
etc! I found it so humbling that such a successful author takes time out of her
day to (personally) connect with her readers. I shared my book review with her
and she thoroughly enjoyed it. I was ecstatic to say the least!
Tell us a little bit about your book crush,
literary significant other or however you wish to call it ;)
As mentioned in my Wizard Heir review, I developed
a bit of a literary crush on Seph McCauley. He is described in the book as very
small, skinny and unattractive. However, it was his courage that I was
attracted to. Despite his small body frame, he was able to fend for himself
when he needed to.
Tell us what in your opinion sets your blog apart
from the others
Most of the blogs I follow have weekly schedules.
(ie, Book reviews on Mondays, book trailers on Tuesdays and so on). I love this
format because it gives us blog follower something to look forward to every day
of the week. However, my blog does not have such a schedule. For me, I am the
type of person who is unable to write just for the sake of writing. I can only
write when I have something to say. I feel if I were to write on my blog daily,
my posts would be of low quality. I would rather write a good quality piece
every now and then, as opposed to writing low quality posts every day.
What made you start your blog?
I love writing, and English has always been my favorite
subject in school. I remember many of my fellow classmates would cringe when we
had to do essay writing, but I really enjoyed them. Since I'm not in school
anymore (and don't do as much essay writing as I did once upon a time), I
decided to start a blog as a medium to write. It allows me to do something I
love and at the same time, practice (and improve) my writing skills.
Do you eat when you read? If so tell us a little
about what snacks you like to have.
I have a passion for both literary and culinary
arts. However, if I were to eat while reading, it'll almost feel like I'm
insulting both arts. I'm not good at multitasking, so I prefer to put my full
focus on one or the other. On the contrary, I do sometimes have a cup of coffee
or tea before I sit down to read a book.
Tell us about the most random character you have
ever read. Did you love the character or hated it?
Grover from the "Percy Jackson and the
Olympians" series. Being a satyr, he is described with both human and goat
qualities, which I found really amusing. I wouldn't say I hated the character,
I just felt like I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had read the books as
a kid. I read them in my twenties. I found the books both enjoyable and
childish.
You
mentioned you are part of a book club; please tell us in your opinion what sets
a book club reading experience apart:
I was originally part of two book clubs, but I
recently dropped one of them. The local library book club mostly consisted of
older women, aside from me and the coordinator. Then a couple of years later,
my girlfriends and I decided to start a book club of our own. Both book clubs
were enjoyable in very different ways. The library one gave me the opportunity
to meet new women from very different backgrounds who had very different
opinions about each book. On the other hand, the book club with my friends is a
lot more casual in comparison. As much as I absolutely loved going to the
library book club, I decided to leave it (which was a hard decision to make). I
was feeling really overwhelmed, and it felt like every time I picked up a book,
it was always for book club. I hardly ever had time to read the books I wanted
to read anymore. It was starting to take the fun out of reading for me.
A lovely thing about book clubs is that they
introduce you to books you normally wouldn't pick up on your own. Most people
don't like to step out of their comfort zone, and book clubs open you up to new
book experiences. I ended up falling in love with so many books I would have
never expected to. In that respect, I feel like book club is a nice experience.
You may be surprised at how much you enjoy a book you never thought you'd read!
Most emotional or passionate review.
My most passionate review is actually not a
book review, and it is on my other (personal) blog. One of my favorite TV shows
is/was BBC's Merlin. It ran for five seasons and just recently ended. I was so
disappointed by the series finale, I did a rant/review about it. I would like
to warn you in advance, it is full of major episode spoilers.
Have you ever met any of your favorite authors?
Two of my favorites authors (Nicholas Sparks and
Cinda Williams Chima) recently came to my hometown, but I did not meet either
of them! =(. However, our city holds an anual book festival called Word on The
Street which hosts Canadian up and coming authors. I've gone to this festival
twice, and have met a few authors. I even bought a book from one and got him to
sign it!
